With Colorado bracing for a hot and dry summer of 2012 — which ultimately brought extreme heat, drought and wildfires — I spoke with state water commissioners for University of Northern Colorado’s Northern Vision magazine to hear about the challenges of managing flows for a parched state of farmers, river runners, and homeowners.

My Spring 2012 story, “The Water Gatekeepers,” tracks the tasks and tribulations of several Colorado water commissioners, faced with administering river flows and reservoir releases to meet legal, public, and environmental needs.